


Team ADAR (ADAM)

by My_Black_Crimson_Rose6



Category: RWBY
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bisexual Characters, Canon-Typical Violence, F/F, F/M, Homosexual characters, I'll eventually have every character make at least one appearance in this, M/M, Medication, Mental Instability, More pairings will be added once they come up, Oh god this will be the slowest build up of a relationship I'll ever do, Seemingly one-sided relationships, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Trying to keep to canon as much as possible, Tumblr Prompt, team art included at the end of chapter 1
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-09-01
Updated: 2014-09-01
Packaged: 2018-02-15 17:57:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 10,737
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2238177
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/My_Black_Crimson_Rose6/pseuds/My_Black_Crimson_Rose6
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everything still happens--the train, Blake running away, Jaune getting bullied by Cardin. Nothing changes except that Adam is there. A Beacon Student and not on a Team with Blake, much to his growing disappointment. Instead he's stuck as the leader of Team ADAR, but his team mates call it Team ADAM (but he'd much rather see it as Team MAAD); stuck with a human who he can't help but grow to respect and two idiotic Faunus' with overly large weapons that will be the death of him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He wasn’t going to let her walk away just like that. Not without him. They were partners, and even though she left that doesn’t change a damn thing. He was going to go to Beacon; he’d be there for her. The world could burn for all he cared as long as nothing touched her, he’d be fine.

“Blake left and I’m going after her,” he turned to his superior. His boss looked as if he’d argue with Adam, “you’ve been saying how we needed an informant on the inside. I’m you’re best guy and I’m young enough to get into Beacon.” He shifted his weigh, arms raising ever the slightest. He was challenging his superior.

The man’s teeth clicked together in aggravation, “give me your mask we can’t have you ruining your cover.” Adam huffed out a laugh and peeled the mask from his face. He blinked, getting used to the sudden change as he handed his mask over. “Now get to work,” his boss hissed taking the mask and turning sharply.

\--

Adam stood at the back of the auditorium, watching Blake and her team. He wasn’t even in the same class as her. He couldn’t partner up with her again. This was a waste of time, he thought with a frown. He wasn’t looking forward to his own initiation—being stuck with people that he wanted nothing to do with for the remainder of his years here.

Humans would look at him with contempt, and would size him up. Adam would smile that predatory smile of his and tilt his body challenging. He was always challenging; that’s how he made it. That’s how he survived the streets, and the starvation. That’s how he survived being alone for all those years until Blake. Until he took a stray under his protection and gave her fight back, and she in return gave him a reason to live.

That’s why he wanted this. He needed to keep her alive, to keep her safe. She was his reason; she was his light.

\--

He should listen to what’s being said, but he didn’t. Couldn’t bring himself to care enough to. He came to Beacon for her and yet here he was, without her still and on his own. Always on his own. He was launched then, effectively cutting him from his thoughts. In the seconds were he flew, the sounds of students hollering around him solidified his resolve.

Blake was here, he was here.

He didn’t need to be on the same team, they were still partners. They still had a connection, something that her and her new teammates would never have. He saved her, fed her, raised her, and loved her—loves her. If she really wanted to break all ties she would’ve, she wouldn’t have left like that. That open ended goodbye that sounded more like a, “see you later” then final.

Until the time he would reunite with her he’d be a normal student. Attend classes, join a team. Watch, wait, and listen. He’d do what he was told and infiltrate Beacon, act like a normal student and make friends.

A normal student. Adam didn’t even know how to be a normal student. He was driving towards the trees, the thrill of falling jolting him out of his thoughts to finally concentrate. He had a job to do after all.

His shoulder hit the ground as he rolled onto his feet, the momentum rocking him forward as his feet moved. He slowed down to a light jog, then a halt. He glanced around the area of woods that he found himself in. There was a crash a little ways away from him, and someone yelped loudly. Clearly screwing up their landing.

A canon went off over his head, and he snapped his head up to see a girl colliding mid-air with a boy with a joyous cry of, “brother!” The extent that some people would go to just to be teamed up with someone. Adam huffed, hypocrite, his mind couldn’t help but supply as he walked off into a random direction. The girl’s canon went off again, the sound alerting him just were he didn’t want to be.

Keep him away from crazy chicks and giant guns.

Everything was going fine for Adam. He hadn’t run into any Grimm, or any students for the matter. His gut wasn’t telling him that trouble was near. Everything was fine… until it wasn’t.

“Fuck,” Adam hissed at the human. He stood half an inch shorter than him and built like an ox, arms covered in shiny metal armor. He should’ve followed the canons. Anything else but a human partner! Adam scowled at the male, and cursed again.

“I take it I’m not your first choice,” the brunette smirked, raising an eye brow at the other male.

Adam huffed, as stupid he thought this was there wasn’t any point in kicking up a fuss. “Your kind isn’t my first choice,” he replied turning away from the other.

The brunette chuckled, “so you’re that type of Faunus. One of the ones that hates humans.” The teen hooked a thumb in his belt loop as he followed Adam at his own pace.

Adam rolled his shoulders and turned back to look at his partner. “You don’t know—” he brown haired boy chuckled, cutting Adam off.

“You’re right, I don’t know fuck all about what a Faunus has go through. I’m a kid that grew up in a small town with only humans. And I don’t expect you to trust me enough to open up,” he tsked. Light blue eyes rolling at something that he just thought about. “But you’re stuck with me now, so how about the two of us play nice? I’ll start. Hey, I’m Derek Smith. I’m a close-range combatant.” Derek wiggled his fingers, the metal clinking as it moved. “These are my weapons, Maple and Charcoal.”

“Adam Taurus,” Adam nodded and lifted his weapon, “I prefer to fight in mid to short range combat.” He turned away from the human than, signalling the end of their conversation. Derek merely shook his head and huffed at the bull Faunus. The pair continued to walk in silence; not meeting a fellow student or monster.

Derek groaned flopping to the ground, “this is so fucking lame. I want to hit something!” He rocked back on his back, using the momentum to launch himself onto his feet. “We’re already here, and there’s nothing. No people, no monsters.”

Adam cracked his neck; he had to agree with his partner. This was ridiculous. Weren’t these woods full of Grimm? His finger was itching to pull the trigger, to vent his frustrations out, to kill something. Maybe it was the beast in him that called out for blood and sang for murder. A girlish laughter rang through the air as her partner and she came running into the clearing and towards Adam and Derek. “We found him!” the male grinned.

Why was he shirtless?

And was that a giant cross that that girl just dropped?

Derek raised his brow at the twins, their blonde hair feather like that darkened to a near black at the tips.  The male grinned at him, winking and tilting his head up in a how you doing fashion. The brunette couldn’t fight the blush down quick enough. “Did you guys choose your piece?” The two males didn’t reply.

The twins tackled Derek, the lesser of the two evils and dragged him over to statues, “let’s be on the same team!” The twins grinned as they held on to Derek with a grip he didn’t expect the two smaller teens to possess.

“I’d rather not,” Derek replied trying to throw a look at his partner who stood off to the side with a smug look on his face. Adam waved him off, turning his attention from the three to the treeline. Still unsettled by how Derek and he hadn’t been attack by anything on their way here.  “You alright with the Rook piece?” his partner shouted.

Adam glanced over to the trio in Derek’s hand he held the black Rook. “Sounds fine,” he replied, and the twins let out a quick whoop and grabbed theRook opposite to theirs. At least they weren’t climbing all over him, Adam mussed.

\--

They had left the clearing quickly, just as a feeling in Adam’s gut grew foul. The others felt it too and hurried their steps. “I’m Axis Rogers and this is my sister Maria. We’re Faunus,” Axis grinned walking backwards in front of them. He had sun kissed skin, and dark grey eyes. The pairing of Derek and Adam quickly learned that while they were energetic, it was Axis that was the one that talked the most and had the most amount of pent up energy to burn. “And, well you’re one too.”

Maria snickered, “you also looked like you could handle yourself in a fight, with all those muscles.” She gestured to Adam’s covered chest before taking in the human beside her. “But then there’s you, you clearly have more muscles. Just look at those,” she stuck the cross into the ground and raised her hands up to his pectorals. She snickered, “honk!” she exclaimed squeezing them. Derek’s reaction was immediate as his metal covered fist connected with the girl’s face and sent her flying.

“Please don’t sexually harass me,” he voiced mostly directed to the brother now. Axis eyes darkened and a grin broke out over his features. These twins had some serious problems in the head—they had to. Maybe they were dropped on their heads as children one too many times?

“Oh my god, that was hot.” Maria stumbled out of the bush cuts and bruises healing quickly, her expression matching her brother’s. “I’ve never been more turned on in my life,” Maria added leaning heavily against the tree her grin growing dreamy.

Derek shuttered.

The ground rumbled with him.

Adam turned to them, “move! Now! Move, move, move!” He gripped the back on Derek neck, spurring him forward as Axis threw Maria’s cross at his sister and ran too. A piercing yowl rattled their bones, a loud booming screech following it. The ground rumbled again, as they charged into a clearly.

Axis pulled the contraption from his back and thrust it forward and halted just as quickly. The movement opening the weapon into a large bow nearly the same size as the snake Faunus. The four stood back to back and readied their weapons.  “Axis and I specialize in long and mid distance combat,” Maria muttered to her team mates as she stuck her cross into the ground her hand resting on one of the arms.

Derek and Adam turned to regard them in a new light—this could work.

Three giant boarbatusks tore through the tree line, their shrikes nearly drowning out the rumbling the their hooves made as they tore towards them. The boaratusks stood at least two people high covered in heavy armor. Maria flipped her weapon onto her shoulder as she took a knee, the cross breaking apart and expanding as she rested it on her shoulder.

Axis drew an arrow made of aura back and let loose, it soared through the air and connected. The boarbatusk at the head of their formation shook it off. “The plates are too closed together,” he hissed out. Maria grinned, her weapon was ready and expanded in this form. She fired. One explosive round after the other. This is what Adam had heard at the beginning.

The Grimms charged though the smoke and Maria hissed out a curse, throwing her weapon from her shoulder and made it change shape yet again. This time it took on a tripod like appearance, with a machine gun nozzle. “Eat this,” she grinned and began firing again in volleys.

“Well I have to say I’m a little afraid of her now,” Derek mumbled to his partner. Adam chuckled shaking his head and the other’s confession.

“They’re breaking apart!” Axis shouted firing off another arrow at the boar that spun to their right. Another shape came charging into the clearing and Derek’s fists clenching in preparation. The Grimm moved with elegance in a quick, sharp, and deliberate fashion.

“What the hell is that thing?” Derek voiced, his eyes tracking the Grimm’s movements. Adam’s eyes narrowed onto the beast as well—he didn’t know himself. It looked like a giant jaguar. How it moved, from the bounce in its step to the roll of its shoulders. Yeah, it was a type of cat—Adam’s never heard of a Grimm like this.

“Axis, I want you to fire a shot at that thing,” Adam gestured to the Grimm that was prowling around the forest. It would run towards them before changing tactics and running parallel to them. It was gauging how the group would act. It showed intelligence, and that didn’t sit right with Adam.

Axis turned from the enemy in which he was engaging to fire at the unidentified Grimm. The feline bounced back and it hit the ground right in front of it. “Shit,” Axis cursed firing another at the feline.

Maria’s head whipped to the left, “Adam!” she shouted and the red head caught what she was concerned with. The boarbatusk was spinning towards Maria and him. Maria wouldn’t be able to move quick enough, or face a loss in their position and her cover fire. Adam pulled his sword from the sheath and broke their formation.

The boarbatusk couldn’t breech it.

The unidentified Grimm charged the group just as Adam’s sword lashed forward quickly. Once, twice, and thrice Adam had cut. The boar’s body uncurled with a whine coming from the dead beast and it began to smoke. Axis had yelped loudly jumping back and out of the way as the beast’s claw drove forwards. Derek’s right gauntlet glowed, the arm markings glowed a dark brown as he slammed a closed fist against the beast’s mask.

The feline Grimm slammed into the ground, the mask covering its skull cracked and the ground shook. “I got this go help your sister,” Derek hissed to the blonde male. The brunette huffed out a grunt as he threw the cat away from him. It whined as it hit the ground, and rolled back onto its feet. The Grimm shook its head, slinking back to circle round.

Adam sheathed his sword quickly. “What other forms does that weapon have?” he directed his comment to the lone female. Maria grinned kicking the legs out from under the weapon and it began to transform again. “Axis, focus on providing Derek with some cover fire. We don’t know anything about that Grimm,” Axis saluted the red head and lifted his bow into firing position. “Derek have fun with that one,” Adam called out to his partner.

“Will do Captain!” Derek called back, slamming his glowing gauntlet into the ground and the earth broke apart and spiked upwards in a line that went four meters away from the initial impact zone. The feline jumped out of the way and into an arrow that took a junk off fur off its hide. It growled in a mixture of rage and pain and it tore towards the two males.

Adam turned back to the boars as Maria’s weapon clicked into a sword. The center column of the sword glowing blue from the dust, “freeze them just before they curl up.” Maria gripped the sword and drove it into the ground, triggering the blue dust and spikes of ice jutted out of the ground and towards the closest boarbatusk, the smallest of the three and an ice spike caught it in the tender area of its throat.

It squealed and more ice stabbed upwards into its neck and underbelly. It squirmed, digging the spikes deeper into its body. It was stuck. It whined, smoking pooling out of its mouth. Maria clenched her jaw and twisted her weapon in the ground, and one of the columns of ice drove further upwards and finally killing it. “I used all my ice dust,” Maria pouted, frowning down at the clear center piece of her sword. The ground rumbled to their right and Adam gripped the back of the girl’s shirt, tossing her out of the way. He took the blunt impact, sending him tumbling a ways away. “Adam!” the girl cried out.

His joins cracked as he slowly stood, dusting himself off. This was his favourite jacket. The bull Faunus watched the boarbatusk circle back around. He chuckled to himself, now that his team mates where out of his way he could finally let loose some frustrations.

When the beast turned towards him its body spinning quickly Adam sliced forward with his sword, the attack ricocheting off of the beast and carved up the ground close to Maria. He swiped again, and again. A piece of the beast’s tusk flew off, along with a junk of fur and armor. So he had hit the underbelly of the beast with the first cut. He smirked, hands clenching the grip as he waited for the beast to close in.

The ground rumbled underfoot and yet Adam still waited.

Now.

Adam swiped from left to right, and the boar’s head disconnected. The body continued rolling—he couldn’t help but tilt his head up smugly as he stepped aside, watching the body of the beast roll past him limply the momentum of its attack carrying it forward.

Adam checked his blade, spotless. He sheathed it again.

“Just die already! For fucks sake!” Derek yelled at the beast ducking and rolling out of the way as it pounced at him. Axis let loose another arrow, this one larger than the others. It took off a layer of flesh from the beast’s hide, blood dripping into its fur. The Grimm snarled, its tail whipping around and catching the blonde across the chest. Adam heard the tell-tale signs of Maria’s weapon changing shaping. She began to open fire on the beast, explosive rounds after the other. Until the weapon clicked and she shouted out enraged. She was out of dust.

Adam ran to join his partner, “we need to get it into a position that it can’t slink away when it’s injured,” Adam voiced to the human.

“I might be able to get it off the ground, but I can’t guaranteed that I can throw it as high as I could have,” he brought his hand away from his shoulder. The blood flow slowing to a stop as his aura healed it.

“Maria!” Adam called back to the girl. “How much dust do you have left?” His eyes never leaving the Grimm that circled them near the tree line, a limp in its step. It would attack soon. Its tail flicking back and forth in aggravation.

“I got nothing left,” she called back patting her pockets down. “Not a thing,” she added her left hand held out with fingers spread. Adam sighed heavily, grabbing a vial of explosive rounds from the inner pocket of his jacket. He tossed them at her.

“On my signal I need you to fire those upwards.”

“Up?” her face wrinkled in confusion as she loaded the rounds.

He didn’t reply only gripping the hilt of his sword, “Axis you need to start firing at it, make it charge us.” A breeze began to form. Adam directed his aura to the surface, to his very pours. Feeling the power course through his very being, the sound of his own heart pounding in his ears drowned out Axis and the Grimm. He felt lighter and heavier. He felt powerful.

A grunt of exertion coming from Derek snapped him out of his daze, “Maria now!” He shouted, holding onto his trigger. Nearly there. Just shy. Just a little more. Maria’s weapon boomed, firing off three rounds. They exploded, pushing the Grimm into the air. Up and up and up.

And that’s when he felt it. That click in the back of his mind that felt like it was opening the gate of the beast that he hid within him. Blake had mentioned that his trigger made the red on him shine brightly, he never thought about it until now. Maybe it really was the beast within him that he let loose with this attack, to let loose the blood lust that at times drove him.

He clenched his jaw and slashed upward, the energy surging forwards. It looked like rose petals were flying… falling. It looked like blood spraying as the feline Grimm dropped in pieces. The petals blowing away in the breeze.

Where they really blood?

His team laughed breathlessly around him, the twins yelling out their victory. Axis brought his sister into his arms and twirled her around. This was their first battle as a team. Derek punched Adam’s arm gently, “nice job Captain,” he grinned playfully. Adam huffed, the blood still pounding in his ears from his trigger.

Everything in that field that Adam saw was red; it could just be his sight… could be a memory of something else. He blinked, the twins laughing loudly as they threw themselves at Derek and he. Their arms wrapping around him and dragging them into this clustered mess. He didn’t have the energy to fight them off. And neither did Derek who hissed out a, “watch the shoulder” when Axis jostled him too harshly.

The loudness didn’t stop there.

It only grew louder when Ozpin announced the teams. “Adam Taurus, Derek Smith, Axis Rogers, and Maria Rogers,” he had started. Adam turned his attention to the crowd, Blake’s eyes widened upon seeing him. His lips pulling up ever the slightest at the sight of her, even if she wore that ridiculous bow. “This day forward the four of you will work together as Team… ADAR,” Adam looked away from Blake at that.

What the hell kind of team name was that?

“Maria wants me to tell you that she’s calling us Team Adam,” Derek whispered beside him.

Adam shook his head, almost fondly. These idiots would be the death of him. “Lead by Adam Taurus,” Ozpin finished. Maria and Axis through their hands up at that both saying that they had predicted it. Derek’s fist bumped against Adam’s arm again, lightly, with a large smile on his face. 


	2. Chapter 2

Adam wasn’t exactly friendly; he would play nice with fellow Faunus though. They had to sick together, in a city… in a world so over run by humans they had to band together at times. So when the brown haired human, Cardin Winchester, began tugging on the rabbit Faunus’ ear Adam stood from the table pushing his chair away from the table. “Where are you off to?” Derek inquired from the opposite side of the table his back was facing the bully and rabbit Faunus, on either side of the human sat the twins.

He didn’t break his pace from a quick walk; he didn’t want someone bringing attention to him. “Ow stop Cardin that hurts. Please stop,” the brown haired Faunus whined trying to pull her ear from his grasp in the least painful way possible. Adam grabbed the boy’s wrist and slammed the bully’s head against the table, holding him there with an arm pressing against the back of his neck.

The bully’s hold loosened and the Faunus rubbed her now freed ear. “Think it’s funny to mess with Faunus’?” Adam growled out through his teeth. Team CRDL sat there shocked looked between their leader whose face was pressed harshly against the table and the red and brown haired Faunus who held him there. The cafeteria grew quiet, out of the corner of his eye he saw Derek standing on the opposite side of the table. Providing him with backup if Cardin’s team decided to try anything—just in case.

He didn’t know if he should be annoyed or proud of his teammate.

“Adam!” her voice shouted from behind him, and he turned to look. She had stood from the table, approaching him turning the commotion much to her team’s surprise. Her hand pressed against his back, “don’t cause any more of a scene then you already are,” she whispered her yellow eyes wide as she gestured to everyone staring in the room. Adam didn’t move. “He’s not worth the trouble, Red,” she finally whispered. Using his nickname that she had used to call him years ago; he had nearly forgotten about it. It’s been just that long since she had said it last.

His heart pounded wildly in his chest as he let him go, backing up into her hand and arm. Her fingers clutching the back of his school jacket just in case he decided to go back and hurt the bully. Even if she thought he deserved a good kick in the ass, he wasn’t worth getting in trouble over.

Derek rounded the table; standing beside his teammate and following the two as Blake lead him away. “I like to see you try that shit when your girlfriend isn’t around to save you!” the boy shouted at them. Adam’s body immediately tensed up as he went to turn to the boy.

“I don’t know who you think you are, kid, but I can guarantee that if you don’t close your mouth and start smartening the fuck up right now I willensure that you do,” Derek voiced beating his leader to it. Derek crossed his arms over his muscled chest, the fabric of the school jacket tightening over his muscles. Derek wasn’t the type of guy that liked to pick fights with others in school. He was what everyone called a lover when they would say that saying, “You’re a lover not a fighter” or “make love not war”. Monsters were different; they were a threat to that peace and love stuff that he stood for.

Ugh, that sounded so weak.

But that’s what Derek stood for, and he would die for that cause. Kill for it even. And even though this kid was just some kid who thought he was tough shit, he wasn’t one to stand quietly by when someone was in trouble.

Of course the twins didn’t really count in his whole “gotta be gentle with you or I may just break you.” Axis and Maria would poke and prod and annoy him to the point that he would either throw them onto the nearest soft surface (because he cared enough about them to be careful), pick them up and forcibly move them away from his person, or that rare time that he would hit one of them. He only hit Axis now, he felt very uncomfortable when Maria would bring up how he had punched her. He didn’t hit girls, and he had apologized every time she mentioned it with that same grin and hooded eyes. It didn’t help his case when the two devil twins would lean over in his ear and say all those things; “it made my lady parts all hot” was the one that even Adam shuttered about.

Cardin leaned away from the finger that Derek pointed at him, looking insulted that someone was speaking like that to him. But he didn’t voice it—finally, the kid was starting to understand that being a dick would get him nowhere nice with Adam and he. Derek huffed though, rolling his eyes as he turned and helped the black haired drag his leader back to their table.

When he passed the table that held team RWBY and JNPR Derek had heard one girl lean over to whisper to the blonde haired boy, “We could always get those two to kick the shit out of him too… if you don’t want us to break his legs.” So that boy was causing trouble with more people than just that one Faunus girl.

Blake turned from them once they had reached the table that team ADAR(M) had commandeered. She bid them a quick farewell and left just as quickly. “Ex-girlfriend?” Axis questioned around a mouthful of food. Derek grimaced returning to his seat between the twins. He used to try to pick up his stuff and move to the other side of the table, but they had followed him each time. Now he just accepted his fate of being sandwiched between two annoying blondes.    

“Old partner,” Adam replied with a frown, his gaze glued to the black haired girl across the room. He should sit with her soon, screw this avoiding each other and pretending the other wasn’t there when she was with her team. He was getting sick of it.

Maria leaned forward, her fork standing straight up in the heap of her food. “Like, partner—” she gestured to all four of them, “—or partner” she crossed her middle and forefinger with a wiggle of her brow.

Adam barred his teeth at the snake Faunus, “I told you our relationship wasn’t like that!” He had hissed out quietly, grabbing the bottle of water violently.

Axis grinned, “Ooh a relationship is it?” he snickered. Derek punched him in the shoulder, silencing him. Axis pouted at the brunette briefly, before a twinkle of mischief appeared in his eyes. “If you wanted to kiss me so badly, you didn’t have to ask!” he exclaimed wrapping his arm around the brunette’s neck and smooshing their lips together.

Maria squawked, quickly pulling her brother off Derek. “That’s no fair!” she exclaimed shaking her twin. Beside them Derek sat in shock, fingers touching his lips gently and a deep red flush creeping from his neck to his ears and to his cheeks.

Nothing news worthy happened in Team ADAR(M)’s day to day life. Everything was going by normally; the twins were hitting on Derek, Derek was avoiding Axis a little more since that day, and Adam was… Adam was watching… and waiting. He was trying to be a normal student. He wasn’t approaching Blake; every time he tried she would give him one of her looks. One of the ones that made him grind his teeth and turn around.

One day he should just keep walking towards her, screw what her team thinks.  

Everything was going fine until Blake disappeared. Everyone had heard about it; Team RWBY made sure of that. Do you know where Blake went?This and Have you seen Blake? That. They’ve asked the twins these things early in the weekend, and both said that they had no idea and that they should come back to the dorm and ask Adam.

A day later and here they were.

He had just come back to the dorm from the showers, a towel around his shoulders and a clean pair of pants covering his legs. He didn’t grab a shirt; have you tried putting a shirt on when you were still wet and in a humid place? It was bad enough that he had to put boxers and pants on it that atmosphere.  The three girls were standing in the middle of the dorm room, the twins dangling off of Derek as he tried to gather information from the three girls.

“Adam,” Derek sighed in relief finally beginning to remove the leeches that they liked to refer to as Axis and Maria Rogers. The mentioned male paused in the doorway as everyone looked up at him. Yang looked him over, from feet to horns and nodded thoughtfully.

“Not bad. I approve,” she hummed crossing her arms over her chest. Her younger sister hissed her name, something along the lines of we’re not here to ogle Blake’s boyfriend coming from her mouth. “Yesh fine. I get it. I get it!” The blonde sighed, taking on the role of leader in the Blake hunt/inquiry, “do you know where Blake might be?”

Adam chuckled throwing the towel from his shoulders at Maria to stop her from pouting any further. He pulled a tank top from his dresser, not feeling like buttoning up a shirt this moment. The shirt matching the red in his hair. He threw a black sweater over top, zipping it up quickly and grabbing his keys from their hiding spot. If he was right and Blake was where he thought she was, he didn’t want to go out in his typical jacket without his weapons or his mask.

The jacket was his signature (other than the mask of course), he’d much rather not be attacked on the streets today.

“Yeah, I know where she is.”


	3. Chapter 3

When he left the dorms he wasn’t expecting her team, let alone his own, to follow him from the campus and through the winding streets of the town. Adam ground his teeth together when stepped over the imaginary boundary between the  **good part** of town and the  **bad part**. The Schnee heiress had grimaced at that time as well.

“Why are you following me,” Adam finally spoke his attention still drawn forwards and to the surroundings around him. He didn’t look like himself, lacking both the mask and the jacket now—made him feel open and unguarded. He brushed the hair back that fell to his forehead. My horns grew, he thought in passing. He hadn’t realized just how much they have grown until now. He hadn’t shaved them down since before that train raid.

And that was a long time ago.

“I donno about the rest of them but I want to know where you live,” Maria shrugged, her arms hooking with both Derek and Axis’. Adam clenched his teeth together, he could always loose them. There was still enough distance between him and his apartment for that.

There were a group of street kids loitering outside of a convenient store just a ways away. One of the boys perked up at the sight of the group, punching his friend in the arm and gesturing to rag-tag bunch. “Adam!” one of the kids cried out, in his haste to get to his feet the kid's drink spilled onto the pavement.

Adam ground his teeth at the call of his name, he didn’t want to have his presence known. If his boss heard that he was out in the slums he would be questioned--he could say he was winning the trust of the students over, which in a way he was doing just that. The kids bounced in front of the bull faunus, “where have you been?! I haven’t seen you in forever!” one of them cried out, patting the bull faunus’ arm to see that this was in fact him.

The kids were around ten years of age, if Adam remembered correctly. One of them lived in the same apartment complex as him with their grandmother. All of the children were Faunus; not many human families were found living in the slums after all. “Did you hear that the White Fang has been spotted—” one of the children beamed widely up at him only to be cut off.

“Go home kid, you're too young to concern yourself with that,” the faunus spared a glance to the people that were following him. The kids peeked around him at that and their eyes widened in what he hoped to be understanding. The children nodded at him before turning away and running back to where ever the had to be. At this moment it was anywhere but here. Adam didn't bother looking back at them to gauge their reactions, he could feel the stares they were giving him.

The group continued on in silence, awkward... extremely awkward silence, before Ruby's thought became too much and she had to blurt her thoughts out. “So the White Fang...” she started clapping her hands together in an attempt to lighten the mood. “Blake mentioned something about them before she took off,” she continued on hesitantly pausing every odd word.

“Yeah, that they were thieves and murders and monsters,” Weiss replied turning her nose up. The heiress was beginning to grasp the notion of not every Faunus was the same, but the White Fang... yeah, no, don't mention that organization of criminals in her presence or she'd lose it. “Just like the rest of them,” now that slipped out. That was only meant to stay in her head where it was safe to stew in its negativity.

Maria stopped the white haired girl with a strong grip to her elbow, “you do realize that you're saying that shit in front of three Faunus; three Faunus that are helping you, right?” the blonde girl snapped before grabbing the other girl's collar with her free hand.

The group hand stopped to break the two girls apart, all but Derek and Adam. Derek watched his team leader continue walking, seemingly disinterested in what was going with the group. The brunet shook his head lightly to himself while rolling his eyes at the redhead's back. “We're supposed to be looking for Blake!” Ruby cried out tugging on the white haired girl's jacket.

“This is why Blake ran away in the first place!” Yang yelled pulling at the roots of her prized blonde locks. Derek sighed, with how things were going he didn't blame his leader in taking the time to escape. Derek wrapped an arm around his team mate and lifted her up and away from the white haired girl.

“Calm down Maria, this is not the time for this behaviour,” he spoke in hushed tones and the girl went slack in his arm. Like children those two twins were, just needing a strong hand and soft words at times were enough to turn them into a limp cat.

Axis turned away from the scene to look for Adam, “where did Adam go?” the blond turned back to the group with a raised brow. Derek shrugged, lying when he told them he didn't see him wonder off. From then the group decided to break apart to continue looking for Blake, and now Adam as well.

 

Adam had taking every back end and alleyway that he could find to get to his apartment. Just in case they ended up stumbling upon him before he could find Blake. He even climbed up to the roof and jumped down to the top landing where his door was just to avoid the possibility. He jiggled the handle, still locked, before checking under the welcome mat and under a broken piece of stone where they had kept the spare key.

It was gone.

He felt himself being able to breath lighter after that. At least Blake had stayed here; at least she knew that this was still a safe place to be. He unlocked the door and shouldered his way into the apartment. The damn thing always got stuck. Slamming the door loudly behind him he began to take inventory of what was moved and what wasn't.

Nothing in the hall way, but they had only kept their shoes there anyways. Blake was horribly anal about putting their jackets away in the closet **“that's what its meant for, Adam!”**  He scoffed at the voice in his head, he was about to leave the hallway when he remembered leaving a jacket on the table before he left for Beacon.

He chuckled, “you always sucked at break and entering. Would tidy everything up,” he shook his head at that before taking a left into the kitchen-living room type area. The apartment used to look like shit before they had came in and changed everything—but that's the life in the slums for you. The apartment was mostly long rather than wide, the rooms cramped and those that lived in these places had to make the best of what they got. And that's what they had done—with their money they had made they had completely redid the kitchen.

It was dark, and red. Matching the rest of the apartment that she had painted. Adam hadn't cared, only worried about getting the two of them off the street once and for all with food in the fridge and a decent bed to sleep in. It was all Blake; she was the one that pushed for an island were they could have two bar stools to sit on, she's the one that pushed for the house to be painted in warm tones.

There were dishes piled in the drying rack.

Adam put them away before turning to focus on the map laid open on the counter. Their were locations circled and crossed out in red marker, but only one location had one huge star on it—and he knew what it was. He knew were just about every grain of dust would make contact with this city.

Adam turned his attention from the map to continue his way down the hall. His pushed open the bedroom door that had once belonged to Blake open, nothing. Bed wasn't touched. He tilted his head, puzzled by this. There was always one thing that Blake had never done and that was make the bed. She would make sure everything was spotless... except her bed. On a whim he pushed open his own bedroom door and lo' and behold.

Bed unmade.

He snorted, “dumb,” he mumbled before fixing the sheets. And returning to the kitchen, to the map. He took another look at the paper fingers drumming on the counter top as he pondered over the quickest route there. And he was going there—its Blake we're talking about here. Was there any thought that he wouldn't?

 

He was nearly there when the explosion sounded and black smoke filled the sky. The redhead pawed at his side for Blush and Wilt but found nothing. “Fuck,” he cursed but continued running. He froze at the opening, watching his old partner duck and dodge the attacks. He ground his teeth together when his fellow White Faunus were used as dogs to serve this human. He could feel the rage creep up, washing over him as he had watched the scene play out.

The blond monkey Faunus doing what he couldn't do, fight along side her. The Faunus grunts falling and stumbling around like drunken idiots. How long has this been going on? Why were they allowing themselves to be used like this? Adam snarled when Ruby and a orange haired girl joined the fray. He didn't bother sticking around after the orange haired girl began to rinse through those that stood in her way.

Adam stormed from the scene, down alley to his right where there was a little passage that led to some old underground subway stations that have long been closed off. Collapsed tunnels, monsters lurking around corners, and just people no longer wanting to take subways forced in the closing. He jogged through the familiar tunnels, lights were scattered and pegged on to the walls. The Faunus had made his home down in these tunnels once; he would never fear the dark.

He continued on, time doing nothing to calm his rage.

Turning down forgotten paths littered with fallen stones and broken tracks. Rodents scurrying underfoot as he continued on, climbing over bits and pieces of stone and jumping over cracks. The rubble began to lessen and the tunnel grew lighter, opening up to a circular room with only a ladder in the middle of the room. Adam began his climb up the rusted metal, it groaned and creaked under his weight.

He pushed the lid open with a huff and climbed out of the hole. He quickly kicked the lid over the opening and continued on his way—into the building in front of him. “Hey!” one of the men standing guard called out running towards Adam. Adam grabbed the collar of his shirt when the boy can too close and dragged him along with him. “Hey, let me go!” the kid cried out gripping the redhead's wrist painfully tight.

Adam tossed the kid into one of the other guards as he passed, “the boss here?” he drawled out rubbing his wrist. The kid had quiet the grip.

The guard squinted at his face, “Adam?” the older grunt leaned away finally reconsigning the man in front of him. “Y-yeah, he's still here. Do you want me to go tell him that you're here? He's kinda in the middle of something right now—hey!”

Adam turned to the stairs and jogged up them, ignoring the calls from behind him. The anger that he was feeling from before finally resurfacing as he threw the door open and off its hinges. The saying go big or go home was perfect in this situation. “When the fuck did we start taking orders from humans!?” he snarled.

Adam was only expecting one person, his boss, to be in the room—not to have this asshole sitting in as well. The orange haired man turned to him with a look of disgust, “who do you think you're talking to?” The man had Adam's complete and total attention.

“Some shithead—”

His boss stood from his lounging position against his desk, “Adam!” the man shouting effectively silencing the bull Faunus. “You have a job in Beacon, why aren't you there?”

Adam ground his teeth together, “Blake went missing,” it was like pulling teeth. “I ended up finding her at the peer with dumb ass here,” he crossed his arms over his chest and nodded towards Roman. “Nice going shithead, effectively destroying a bunch of machinery and killing our chances at getting our hands on that dust.” His boss levelled him with a stern look, halting whatever he wanted to add.

The orange haired man ignored him, instead focusing on what Adam's boss had said, “how did you get into Beacon?” Adam wanted to hit him, oh god did he ever want to beat the living shit out of him.

“I signed up,” Adam sneered in response.

Roman ground his teeth together, “don't play smart with me.”

Adam leaned forward lips turning up into a grin, “I'm not. Don't need to play at anything,” he cocked an eyebrow at him. This was fun, he could do this all day—maybe at the end he'd still find a crowbar and paint the floor with his brain matter... but until then this could work.

“Adam play nice, we have matters to discuss. And seeing that you're here now you might as well hear them,” Adam's boss cut in. Adam moved away from the human and closer to his boss' side.

“By all means, carry on.” 


	4. Chapter 4

The pills sat heavily in his pocket, clacking with each step he took the passed week.

His boss had handed him the pills before he left that night exactly a week ago, “you're running low, right?” he spoke. His hand clenching Adam's. The bottle of pills was something that he had grown to know since he was a child. Since the day that he spoke to his superiors about the unsettle within him—the constant war in his mind between a side that thirsted for blood and death, and the other than knew to shed the blood that he needed to within reason.

One side of him wanted nothing more than to burn the world.

The other side knew that there were a few people worth surviving for. The medication helped Adam control those two sides—into a medium of sorts. At least, that's what he told himself. “I need a stronger dosage,” Adam informed the man. His boss' eyes seemed to alight with... glee... and Adam was confused. This was the third time this year he had to request a stronger dosage of his medication and the flash in the man's eyes only seemed to become more pronounced.

“Do you think you can manage with that in the meanwhile?”

Adam glanced down at the bottle in his hand, “I'll have to start taking four pills,” and the man nodding in understanding. “I'll need the new ones in two weeks, or another one of these,” he shook the pills to empathize his point. The man nodded again and Adam took his leave—he could make it back to the group without them questioning his whereabouts too much.

But now he was moving forward onto the second week and his team was starting to ask questions.

The auburn haired male cradled his head in his palm, his gaze locking on the bottle of pills on his bedside table. He was combining the new bottle with the one that he already had, the pills were of the same dosage and he knew that he might not be able to keep to the four pills. Maybe he'd have to bump it up to five.

His hand shook.

Adam snarled between clenched teeth, it was always like this in the morning. The twins would watch them from one of their beds, Maria would be sitting up by now. Axis would be propped up on his elbows and he could glance from Adam to the two other people in the room. To see that they were also seeing the same thing. And Derek would be pulling on his school jacket, his arm frozen in place as he watched the now morning show. That's what it was turning out to be; Adam's hands would shake like a leaf and he would stare at them.

His brain slowly processing the events as his legs slowly left the warmth of the blankets and he would sit up fully. He clenched and unclenched his hand before reaching for the bottle, pouring out four pills into the palm of his hand. He paused to insure that it was four before popping them in his mouth in one fluid movement, head tilted back as he swallowed them down. Closing his eyes and sighing through his nose, Adam relished the moment of quiet.

The world became encased with movement after that.

Adam opened his eyes, twisting the cap back on and standing from his bed. His team mates were still frozen in their observing—just like every day before this. Adam pulled his school shirt from the dresser, the fabric tickling the hairs on his arms as it settled. The spell holding his team mates broke and Derek continued to get dressed in silence. The dark haired male knew better than to confront Adam about this—he'd deny it to Hell and back.

But the twins on the other hand—well, they would hold onto their concern to the day that they'd die. “Are you alright, Adam?” today it was Maria who asked the question. The lone female slowly stood, approaching their leader like one might do to a wounded animal.

Adam barred his teeth, “I'll be fine as soon as you shut up,” he snarled. Just like every morning. Every morning those two would ask the same thing, and he would reply with the same. But the truth was, was that he wasn't alright. The pills weren't having the effect that he needed anymore, and they were taking longer to kick in too.

Team ADAR(M) got ready in peace, leaving shortly afterwards to the dining hall to grab a quick snack before first set of classes. The team had agreed the they'd much rather sleep in for awhile longer than wake up at a ridiculous time so they could have a full first meal. Why sit and grunt at people who were picking at their meals in a half alive state when you could grab food (apples, oranges, yogurt and milk were on today's snack menu) and look and feel well slept and energized enough to not fall asleep in the first lecture!

The morning passed by like all the others. Slow and steady—the morning lectures were always the worst. They would cover the more basic things of a young adult's education. This morning it was the sciences, biology was the main topic of today. And Adam had been bored out of his mind, this shit wasn't for him. Not in this state, and not in his normal state of mind either.

But all things eventually come to an end, and so did that class. So did the one after, and the time after that. Until lunch was upon them and the twins leading him to the area that Team RWBY and JNPR sat. Maria joined Adam's side that lunch period, their lunch trays clattering loudly as they settled in their seats. “Oh hey look at that, Team ADAR finally joins the rest of us!” Nora grinned, her small body vibrating in her seat. She punched a fist forward in her excitement, “the gangs all here!”

Nora and Maria conversed loudly and dramatically as they described their odd adventures and dreams in vividly inaccurate details. “They weren't quiet that big, Maria,” Derek sighed heavily behind his hand. But the blonde girl continued on with her story of their initiation. With a wide sweeping motion of her arm, it nearly smacked Adam in the face as she described how their team leader threw her out of the way and took it out single-handed.

Blake laughed at Maria's storytelling, “you should've seen him three years ago.” The cat faunus waggled her eyebrows at Adam. The auburn haired male shook his head; he knew exactly what situation she was talking about. “Every mission we'd go on, he'd—” The black haired girl didn't notice the silence until she had seen Ruby's silver eyes widen and turn to Adam. Weiss seemed to still, her glass nearly to her lips. Hands clenched around the cup.

Of course they'd heard about Blake being in the White Fang; this was a school after all. Secretes were never really kept as secretes. Everyone just had to know everything. Adam exhaled deeply through his nostrils; something was starting to tick again in the back of his mind. He should really take his pills again—before his hand begins to shake.

“So you're one of them too,” the white haired heiress spoke, bringing the cup to her lips for a sip.

He hated this girl—hated everything that she stood for. Everything that her family was. He hated people like her, like Cardin Winchester. He hated people like Derek too—they were far too kind; their smiles and their kindness made Adam want to cut open their chest and rip their fucking hearts out.

“I was once,” this came far to easy for him. The lying and the killing. After the first few times—those were the ones were he cried afterwards, hands shaking, a vomiting up stomach acid because he had nothing in his stomach to throw up. Back when it was just him fighting to survive. Back when Blake wasn't yet homeless—back when she had parents that she lived with. Before they went missing, like the Faunus in that neighbourhood sometimes tended to do.

Sometimes monsters weren't just humans and Grimm.

“I don't get it,” Blake spoke. “You had everything with the White Fang—rank, respect, money—everything that you worked so hard to get. It was everything you ever wanted. Why give it all up and come to Beacon?” The members in team JNPR shifted awkwardly in their seats at the growing tension and drama. All but Nora anyways. She just watched on in growing amusement, silently wishing that she had thought to bring popcorn. “You hate Hunters and Huntresses; this was never your dream—” she gasped. It was never his dream to be a Hunter. It was hers. She wanted to be a Huntress and he knew that.

His hands shook and he snarled at both what she was saying and the growing frustration he was having with these damn pills. His mind was a swirling chaos of rage, grief and hate. This was not the time for these kinds of thoughts—not while dealing with Blake and her stupid notions that what he had was everything he ever wanted. “Who took you in?” his lip pulled back in a snarl. He truly felt like a beast then—a monster. The anger buried within himself taking hold, “who taught you how to fight?” His voice still not drawing any attention from the surrounding tables. He couldn't fully give in to his rage by yelling—he'd give her that much comfort. “Who the fuck dragged you back home beaten and bloodied?”

He could see her swallow thickly at that—remembering every moment that he mentioned. There were too many to count. They were flashing in his mind's eye as well. Like a broken record of all the horrible things that the pair had endured. “After nearly ten years together, you honestly believe that the White Fang is everything I've ever wanted.” He scoffed; at who he wasn't quiet sure. But he was thinking it was more for himself than anything.

A calm came over him—his mouth opening and closing like a fish. He didn't know what else to say—no, he knew what to say. He just didn't know how to say it. The blonde haired girl on Team RWBY made a hand motion similar to 'continue' and Adam did. Throwing caution to the wind and giving the two proverbial birds to the world, Adam opened his mouth and blurted out the next bit that he mind was having troubles coming to term with. “The boss wasn't exactly thrilled when he learned that my loyalties were torn,” he had never told her this, “often placing me in positions were he could gauge just who I was...” he couldn't come up any better wording. “He wanted to see who I was more loyal to—you always did win.”

Axis choked on his food.

“Well that's a love confession if I've ever heard one,” Yang quickly covered her input by coughing into her hand. Her eyes shifting their attention from one Faunus to the other.

Adam's teeth ground together; the shaking in his hands were back with a vengeance. “This isn't one—I've learned my lesson after the first one,” he stood from the table then. Hands clenching at his side as he took his leave. The pills clacking in his pocket with each step that he took—he may just need to take five after all. Keeping his pace steady, Adam continued through campus. His hand taking out the pills and shaking out five off-white pills into the palm of his hand.

He swallowed them back and resealed the container.  


	5. Chapter 5

“We need to have a word,” Derek turned to the dark haired Faunus. He watched his team leader storm out of the room; eyes only leaving his figure when the auburn haired teen rounded the corner and left to who knows where. Blake nodded, grabbing at her tray and following Derek to the trash then to the tray return. The table returned back to a dull roar as Nora and Maria continued on with their storytelling as if nothing had happened.

For once Derek was relived that she could talk that much. Good ol' Maria—maybe he won't push her away tonight when she went for her pre-bedtime cuddles with him. “Is this about the White Fang comment or something else?” Blake inquired as they left the cafeteria. There was still some time before classes would start up again. Blake sighed, rolling a stand of hair between her fingers, “this blow up was long overdue. Its one of the reasons why I avoided him for so long.” She shook her head, tucking the stand of hair behind her human ears. “I owe him a lot, and there's things that I would never be able to thank him for. But truth be told... well, he scares me sometimes. There's this part of him that...”

Her mouth closed with a soft tick of teeth.

Derek's hand felt heavy against her back as led her off to the side. It was almost comforting to make contact with a human now. Before Beacon she would flinch at even the kindest gestures—even with the bow covering up her Faunus characteristics. “We need to talk about Adam's medication,” Derek told her and she stiffened under his hand.

“So you know about them?” She turned to him, eyes wide and mouth parted. She wasn't expecting him to know about that—not only after a few months. Adam must have been getting sloppy; that, or he just didn't care anymore.

Derek glanced down the hall, no one was around them to over hear, “I suspected something the first time I met him. He used this,” he paused, brows drawn together as he tried to describe just what he saw and felt. “He used this move and afterwards he just watched blood red petals. Like he was reeling something in—I never mentioned anything. But the look in his eye was just off, then the medication started coming out, and everything that happened between you and your team. He used to take one pill when he woke up, then another at lunch and dinner, and then one right before bed. But now he's up to four and that increase only started happening in the last month and a bit.”

Blake could see where his concerns were coming from. She's seen this happen over and over again throughout all her years living with him. “He's been taking them for as long as I knew him,” she began as she scratched at the itch on the back of her arm. “It started out with low dosages; he was just a kid and all. But then,” she stepped back to lean against the wall, her nose pinched between two fingers. “Then the pills started falling, and he had to double up. Then triple—and well, you see the point. Each time they failed he started taking more. And once he got up to five he got a new batch of pills. Stronger this time.”

Derek crossed his arms over his chest, “so what do they do?” he had to ask. He had to know just what he got himself into, what the others where buried in now too. They've been a team for too long already, the three of them already cared too much for their leader. And Derek already knew that Maria and Axis would follow Adam to Hell if he asked—and Derek wouldn't even let Adam ask. He'd already be at his side following him down to the fire.

Loyalty was always going to be Derek's downfall; he was told that all throughout his life. People respected him for it, but called him stupid.

“All Faunus have their instincts, on top of all the other animal characteristics that they had. Adam's no different. He's a bull Faunus so he has a sensitivity to red. If there's too much in his vision he tends to lose his temper easy; and stubborn, that man is too stubborn for his own good.” Blake shook her head, none of that. This was not the time to go into detail on the stuff that pissed her off about him. “But there was always something more with Adam; he behaved differently then normal Faunus. There was always something darker in him that I would only see between the dosages. Like some monster shifting beneath his skin—he would shake and shutter like it too. Then how he'd act was normal for a bull Faunus; he kills too easy. It's not for protection,” she paused sighing and shaking her head.

“There was a moment during the initiation that seemed weird—he zoned out for a bit. At first I didn't think anything of it, I didn't know him then, but now it kinda sticks out.” Derek shrugged a muscular shoulder, all he really wanted to know was what those pills were and what they did and also let Blake know what was going on with Adam. They did have a history after all, he thought if anyone would want to know it would be her.

“We can always go check the tapes,” she licked her lips in thought, “I don't think Ozpin will get us in too much trouble if we're caught.” Derek mulled it over, tongue pressed against the back of his teeth in thought. Fuck it!

“Tonight,” he replied. He held out a hand and she took it; they shook. Nodding once before returning to their teams. Blake pulled on a smile and returned to her seat next to her partner and Derek was quickly sandwiched between two blonds who poked and prodded at him for information. 


End file.
